We all know the story of The Lord of the Rings and its many heroes, villains, and epic battles.
The story of the One Ring itself, however, is a longer one, with a history that stretches
all the way back to the beginning of J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional universe.
Sauron, the actual "Lord of the Rings" referred to in the title of Tolkien's epic, was created
by the deity Eru in the time before the world was made. In his early life, he was called
Mairon, and served as a craftsman to higher beings until he was corrupted by Morgoth,
the original Dark Lord of Tolkien's world. Morgoth attempted to conquer Middle-Earth
in the First Age, and when he was defeated, Mairon fled judgment, hiding in Middle-Earth,
building his power until he could make his next move. The Elves ultimately came to call
him Sauron.
As the centuries passed, Sauron began calling himself "The Lord of Gifts," and visited the
Elves. Though some of the Elves, including Galadriel and Elrond, distrusted him, the
Elven smith Celebrimbor was taken with Sauron's gifts, and together they began forging the
Rings of Power. They eventually gave 19 rings to the races of Middle-Earth.
Sauron forged the One Ring in the volcanic fires of Mount Doom, pouring much of his own
essence and power into it. The plan was to use the One to control the wearers of the
other rings.
Unfortunately for Sauron, the ring-bearing Elves were able to sense the presence of the
dark lord, and avoid his control, leading to a war against Sauron for the Rings of Power.
The war finally ended when an army of Men joined with the Elves. Sauron retreated back
to Mordor to recover.
More centuries passed, as Sauron continued to fortify his stronghold in Mordor and completed
the tower of Barad-dur. Near the end of the Second Age, he was strong enough to again
attempt conquest of Middle-Earth, but the armies of Numenor, the nation of men, marched
against him. Sauron surrendered and was taken as a prisoner, but he was not humbled by this
supposed defeat.
In Numenor, Sauron again assumed a beautiful appearance and convinced the Numenorians that
they should worship his old master, Morgoth. It was here that Eru, the supreme creator
of all, intervened. Numenor sank into the sea, its armies were drowned, and Sauron's
physical form was destroyed. His spirit, however was able to return to Mordor, tied to the
material world by the One Ring.
Led by Elendil, the survivors of Numenor escaped to Middle-Earth. Sauron watched the formation
of their kingdoms, and his hatred of Elendil led him to attack. Elendil and his sons, including
Isildur, knew they couldn't battle Sauron alone, and formed the Last Alliance with the
Elves to make a stand against the darkness.
The siege of Barad-dur lasted for years, until Sauron finally came out to join the fight
himself. It was then that Isildur took up his father's sword, Narsil, and cut the One
Ring from Sauron's hand. Sauron was defeated, and the victory marked the end of the Second
Age.
Sadly, Isildur was seduced by the One Ring's power, and kept it for himself, only losing
it when he was killed in an ambush by Orcs. The Ring vanished into a river, and would
not be seen again for centuries.
For more than 2,000 years, the One Ring was lost. That changed the day two cousins, Smeagol
and Deagol, went fishing near the spot where Isildur was killed. There, Deagol discovered
a gold ring in the water. Smeagol was immediately drawn in by the One Ring's power, and when
Deagol refused to give it to him, Smeagol responded by strangling his cousin and taking
the One Ring for himself.
"My precious."
With the Ring granting him an endless life, he spent 500 years alone in the dark as his
body and mind were twisted by the ring. Over time, he came to be known as "Gollum."
Gollum and his ring lived in seclusion for centuries, until a Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins
accidentally stumbled across the creature's lair while lost in the Misty Mountains. Bilbo
found the ring in the dark, and used it to escape Gollum after a riddle contest at which,
quite frankly, Bilbo cheated.
"What have I got in my pocket?
"That's no fair."
Though he initially lied about the ring, Bilbo did eventually tell the wizard Gandalf the
Grey more details about how came to possess it. Gandalf was able to deduce that it was
one of Sauron's evil Rings of Power. Still, the wizard decided the ring was relatively
safe in the hobbit's hands, leaving Bilbo to keep it at his home in the Shire.
Bilbo kept the Ring for decades, intending to one day leave it to his nephew Frodo, with
Gandalf's blessing. When the time came, though, Bilbo seemed reluctant to part with it. This
led Gandalf to realized that Bilbo's ring was not just one of the magic rings, but the
ring, Sauron's long-lost One Ring.
The danger of the One Ring itself, coupled with Gollum's recent emergence in Middle-earth
and the return of dark forces like the Ringwraiths, led Gandalf back to the Shire to warn Frodo.
He told the young Hobbit to set out for the Eleven city of Rivendell, where Elrond was
assembling a council. They decided that the ring must be taken to Mordor to be destroyed
in the fires of Mount Doom, as it was the only way to prevent Sauron from eventually
reclaiming it. Frodo volunteered to be the one to take it, and was joined in his quest
by others.
"You have my sword."
"And you have my bow."
"And my axe!"
The Fellowship of the Ring, as Frodo's group was now known, set out from Rivendell, while
agents of Sauron continued to pursue them and amass forces, leading to tragedy for the
group.
"Fly, you fools!"
Later, when the Fellowship was attacked by orc warriors, Boromir, a noble soldier of
Gondor, was killed while defending the lives of the hobbits. Before he died, however, Boromir
succumbed to temptation and tried to take the ring from Frodo, which led Frodo to believe
he needed to leave in order to spare his allies the burden of the ring's power. Sam refused
to let Frodo go alone, and so the two ventured off to Mordor together.
When Frodo and Sam became lost trying to find the way to Mordor, they realized that Gollum,
who'd been set free after torture at the hands of the Orcs, was following them. After capturing
him, Frodo and Sam ordered him to lead them to Mordor, a task he agreed to in order to
stay close to the ring.
Eventually, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum made their way into Sauron's dark realm. War erupted
all around them, as the remainder of the Fellowship continued to battle Orcish armies in a bid
to buy Frodo time to destroy the ring. Gollum, meanwhile, continued to plot against the Hobbits
in order to retake the ring for himself.
In his bid to eliminate the hobbits, Gollum led them to what he claimed was a shortcut
to Mount Doom. In fact, it was the lair of the giant spider Shelob, who nearly killed
the hobbits. When Sam and Frodo finally reached the fires of Doom, Frodo gave in to the ring's
power and put it on, refusing to destroy it. It was here that Gollum made his move, pouncing
on Frodo and biting off the finger that held the ring. Gollum, reunited with his precious
at last, was too lost in celebration to see where he was standing. He fell off the edge
into the magma below, destroying himself and the One Ring. Sauron, whose essence was directly
tied to the ring, was defeated, and all of his armies instantly collapsed.
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